Bothwellhaugh (site of)

Bothwellhaugh was a castle or fortified house belonging to the Hamilton family, but nothing of it now remains.

The property is notable as the home of James Hamilton who became infamous as the assassin of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, the Regent of Scotland and half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, on the 23rd of January 1570 in what was the world’s first recorded assassination by firearm.

Hamilton fled to France and Bothwellhaugh seems to have been obtained by Captain James Stewart who had been granted the Hamiltons’ Earldom of Arran, however it later returned to the Hamilton family and remained in their possession into the 20th century.

Bothwellhaugh appears as a substantial building named Bothwel-hauch on Pont’s late 16th century map in what could be interpreted as a tower with an attached wing.

Glasgow and the county of LanarkTimothy Pont, ca. 1583-96map image courtesy of NLS

Bothwel hauch is shown as a significant building on Blaeu’s mid-17th century map with an apparent tower on its left side. On Roy’s mid-18th century map it is shown as a large almost U-plan building with two wings projecting south from a main block. The west wing is longer than its eastern counterpart and it’s tempting to interpret it as an L-plan tower that has had another wing added, however this is pure supposition.

Military Survey of ScotlandWilliam Roy, 1747-1755map image courtesy of NLS

Bothwellhaugh was apparently still standing as late as 1851 when it was part of a wider farm complex, although Ordnance Survey maps from the mid-19th century show two long, narrow buildings on a different orientation to that on Roy’s map, perhaps more indicative of farm buildings.

During the second half of the 19th century a mine and associated village were built to the north of Bothwellhaugh. If the old house was still standing at this point then these may have hastened its demise.